nt,
and, unfortunately, they discovered the door of the other cabin, which
contained the three daughters. The rifles of the brothers could not be
brought to bear on this point; and, by means of several rails taken from
the yard fence, the door was forced from its hinges, and the girls were
at the mercy of the savages. One was instantly secured, but the eldest
defended herself desperately with a knife she had been using at the
loom, and stabbed one of the Indians to the heart, before she was
tomahawked.

In the meantime, the little girl, who had been overlooked by the enemy
in their eagerness to secure the others, ran out into the yard, and
might have effected her escape, had she taken advantage of the darkness,
and fled; but instead of looking to her own safety, the terrified
little creature ran round the house, wringing her hands, and crying that
her sisters were killed.

[Illustration: THE INDIANS KILLING THE WIDOW'S DAUGHTER.]

Just then the child uttered a loud scream, followed by a few faint
moans, and all was silent. Presently the crackling of flames was heard,
accompanied by a triumphant yell from the Indians, announcing that they
had set fire to that division of the house, which had been occupied by
the daughters, and of which they held undisputed possession.

The fire was quickly communicated to the rest of the building, and it
became necessary to abandon it or perish in the flames. The door was
thrown open, and the old lady, supported by her eldest son, attempted to
cross the fence at one point, while her daughter carrying her child in
her arms, and attended by the younger of the brothers, ran in a
different direction. The blazing roof shed a light over the yard but
little inferior to that of day, and the savages were distinctly seen
awaiting the approach of their victims. The old lady was permitted to
reach the stile unmolested, but in the act of crossing, received several
balls in her breast, and fell dead. Her son, providentially, remained
unhurt, and, by extraordinary agility, effected his escape.

The other party succeeded in reaching the fence unhurt, but in the act
of crossing were vigorously assailed by several Indians, who, throwing
down their guns, rushed upon them with their tomahawks. The young man
defended his sister gallantly, firing upon the enemy as they approached,
and then wielding the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew their
whole attention upon himself, and gave his sister an oppo